At Paths to Understanding, we often say that no single organization can solve the challenges we face. Polarization, disconnection, and distrust in our institutions are too complex for any one group to take on alone. These are whole-of-society problems—and they require whole-of-society responses.
Think of a forest. No single tree makes a forest, and no single species can sustain it. A thriving forest depends on the interplay of towering cedars, understory shrubs, mosses, fungi, streams, and soil. Each has its role, and each contributes to the health of the whole. If one part of the ecosystem is weakened, the entire forest feels the strain.
Our civic life is much the same. Each organization—whether focused on health, education, belonging, economic security, civic participation, local journalism, or safety—is like one part of the forest. Alone, each is valuable. But together, they create the conditions for a thriving democracy.
To help us see our place in this living civic ecosystem, we’ve been working with four missional commitments:
1. Missional Expansiveness: Seeing the Whole
Just as a tree’s roots spread beyond its trunk, our missions stretch into the wider civic ecosystem. Missional Expansiveness reminds us that our work is part of a larger whole. A win for one group strengthens the canopy for all.
2. Missional Focus: Honoring Core Gifts
A cedar does not try to be a fern, and a fern does not try to be a cedar. Both rely on the fungi. Each offers its own gift to the forest. In the same way, Missional Focus means staying grounded in what we do best. By clearly naming our role, we make collaboration easier and more reliable for others.
3. Missional Humility: Knowing Our Place
No tree claims to be the forest. Missional Humility teaches us to celebrate the contributions of others, recognize when our role is complete, and trust that the ecosystem is stronger than any single part. Humility is not weakness—it is wisdom that keeps us rooted in the truth of interdependence.
4. Missional Cooperation: Building the Pathway Together
In the forest, trees share nutrients through their roots, fungi connect networks underground, and animals spread seeds across the landscape. Cooperation is what makes a forest grow. In civic life, Missional Cooperation means building pathways between organizations, sharing stories of impact, and remembering that different groups in the same community are not competitors but partners meeting people at different stages of their civic journey.
When we practice expansiveness, focus, humility, and cooperation, we move from being scattered trees to a living forest. We become more than individual organizations—we become a thriving civic ecosystem, resilient enough to meet the challenges of our time.
This does require one clarification. Many wisdom traditions, for instance, include a vision of a world where everyone belongs and everyone and the ecosystem can thrive. These visions are beautiful and necessary. They drive us forward to work for a better future. But any one congregation or non-profit can only work on a few select parts.
We aren’t saying that we should reduce our own tradition’s vision.
We are suggesting that these visions can include what others bring.
Together, like the forest, we can cultivate a society where all belong, and all can thrive.